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The Talon King Campaign
"Destroy it. We can't let this get into the wrong hands. Destroy it so that our people will forever be freed and will never bow down to another tyranny." - '''Talon King Terokk speaking of the Talon King's Relic''' The Arrival of the 103rd in Arak While in the Spires of Arak, Serpico Shar'adore stumbled upon ancient Arakkoan scripture of the Talon King's Relic, its power, and its eventual destruction. He took these ancient writings and parchments to Count Remington Ridgewell at Ridgewell Hold. The Count ordered the Marshal to immediately find the fragments and assemble this artifact so that at the very least it is out of the hands of anyone else. Within a few weeks, a plan was devised by the Marshal and his officers. The truth was, none of them knew where these fragments were being held or if they were even near each other. Scouting parties were sent out and the Marshal even hired the help of Tex and the Windfall Expedition to find information on these fragments. The First Fragment The Windfall Expedition had come through for the 103rd Infantry Legion, compiling a long list of rumored locations and some that were concrete where broken fragments of the relic were held. The Marshal's scouts reported a Forsaken Horde regiment that went by the name of "The Legion of Vengeance" had their hands on one of the fragments in Arak. The Marshal became impatient, turning his main forces on them in the Spires and chasing them down over several days. Serpico Shar'adore parked his forces at a crossroads that the Forsaken were headed towards. The Legion of Vengeance made their way through the trees, glowing eyes seen from the crossroads. Without hesitation, the Marshal ordered the Bluecloaks to charge into the battle, decimating their foes. The Forsaken quickly retreated and withdrew, their leader taunting the Marshal with the fragment in her hands. The 103rd's forces marched through the night into the heavily wooded part of northern Arak, arriving at the burnt ruins of Veil Akraz. Across the horizon, a Forsaken regiment stood in silence and watched the Eastern Offensive march by. The Marshal turned his forces towards them in unison, charging at his enemy. The Vanguard, led by Commander Ryan Thaydor at the time, were at the forefront of the battle, cleaving through the Forsaken forces. The Forsaken forces were once again called into a retreat, their leader tossing the fragment to side not wanting any more trouble. Gathering the Fragments After a few months of searching aside from large-scale assaults with the Azeroth Coalition, the 103rd Infantry had acquired most of the pieces by force from Arakkoan clans, Orc clans, and even Ogre clans. Their last assault brought them to Bladefist Hold in the Spires, where they fought off a few small regiments of the Bladefist clan so that they may get their hands on the last piece needed. The Marshal gathered all of the separate pieces of the artifact, fusing them together through the use of the arcane. Alongside the Reavers unit, the Marshal tested the use of the artifact with no luck. It seemed useless but Serpico and the 103rd refused to give up. The Marshal ordered the Reavers unit out to Arak once more to gather intelligence on the artifact and why it was not working. He had Commander Calidian capture several Arakkoan prisoners to explain it to him. After a long night, one of the Arakkoan spoke up, saying it was fabled that the Talon King's Relic had a final piece in the form of an activation crystal which would allow its use. He was even pushed to the point that he disclosed where it was being held. Interrogation and Re-discovery of the Dominion of the Sun Eager to get the last piece of the artifact, the Marshal sent forces in the area near Skyreach. The Arakkoan clans in the area were decimated as if a strong force had come through and wiped them out. They captured a leader of the clan named Asparukh that they took back to Infallible Hold with them. The Arakkoan leader disclosed that the activation crystal was unknowingly taken by a Sin'dorei regiment known as the "Dominion of the Sun." This was a name that had laid low for quite a long time, biding their time. Asparukh continued to speak of a construction site that they spoke about in the short time they were in Arak. Within the coming days, the Marshal discovered the Dominion's construction site deep in the Searing Gorge. A place that was invisible to the men and women on Draenor and the Alliance. This "Dominion" that had laid siege so often on the Alliance in the years before the armistice. The Marshal prepared the 103rd Infantry to strike at the Sin'dorei's construction site. The Battle of the Cauldron The 103rd gathered at Iron Summit within the Cauldron of the Searing Gorge. They prepared themselves with a smaller assault group, hoping to go into this mining site, grab the activation crystal and leave. The Eastern Offensive glided down towards the Cauldron on Gnomish gliding devices, reaching one of the several entrances into the mine. To their surprise they were immediately crossed by the Dominion's forces that were stationed at the mine. After a long fight, the Dominion came out on top, defeating the 103rd Infantry in battle and keeping the crystal. To offer a quick and safe escape, Serpico made an army of illusions that would disappear when they were surrounded by the Dominion. Thus, the Battle of the Cauldron was lost. Ambush in Tanaan! The Marshal got word of the Dominion's movements in Tanaan, setting up an ambush of their forces on the shores in the northern part of the territory. The Dominion seemed prepared for the initial ambush that the 103rd provided. They pushed the 103rd Infantry back up the fel-covered beaches before the Eastern Offensive retaliated with a vengeance. They began a march of terror, decimating the forces in front of them without an ounce of retreat. The Marshal called for his forces to continue pushing, no matter the consequences. They caused the Dominion to fall into a constant retreat, pushing them back up the shores of Tanaan. At last, the Marshal had defeated the Dominion, surrounding a few of their leaders. They handed him three activation crystals, two of which exploded shortly after handling them. They had no effect on Serpico as he always meets with the enemy as an illusion. The Eastern Offensive had acquired the activation crystal, waiting till morning to unlock the artifact stored in the Violet Hold of Dalaran. Activation The Marshal finally had all the pieces together. The artifact floated above the table inside Serpico's quarters in Infallible Hold. He held the activation crystal in his right hand. The Marshal was smiling widely, ecstatic about this accomplishment. He looked behind him, whistling. The Morior brothers dragged in a captured Arakkoa that they had kept as prisoner. They quickly binded the bird-man to the wall with chains so that he wasn't able to move during the process of controlling his mind completely without resistance. Serpico looked back to the artifact, floating it into the air with the arcane. He fit the activation crystal into the middle slot that was open for it. It glowed in pulses of bright gold that lit up the entire room, putting a gold tint onto everything in the room. The Marshal floated it above himself, beginning to chuckle. Suddenly... The pulsing imploded into the activation crystal, turning the entire artifact into dust that fell down on top of his gauntlets and arms. The artifact had been destroyed. The legend of the Talon King's Relic was simply a myth. Serpico simply stood with his hands out as the dust slowly fell upon him. He put his hands to his side as the dust slid off. Arcane auras were beginning to appear around his gauntlets as they pulsated with pure fury. He quickly ran across the room to the Arakkoan prisoner, beginning to throw jabs into the bird-man's face. His punches were so hard and heavy that it was beginning to break the Arakkoa's skull. He grabbed the Arakkoa's beak, ripping it off of the head as blood spurted all over the Marshal's armor. Lastly, he withdrew his sword, cutting off the hand-talons and feet-talons of the Arakkoa before throwing the sword on the ground and leaving the room. The Talon King Campaign was over.